and thanks for the explanations too, but I have to disagree with you on one point : nowhere in the Bible - probably not in the Torah either - is it said that Eve ate an apple ....she ate the fruit of the knowledge of Good and Evil...
one of my mother's philosophy teacher was very impressed because she was able to point that out . he immediately knew she was not a Catholic...

Of course you're right , minty. And I always wondered what is it so special in the apple, why was this fruit chosen. Maybe snakes don't like onions? Actually I have to go and check the Torah, maybe find a clue .

No more war. More knowledge between Good and Evil, and more apple cakes.

well, I do have a few explanations about the famous "apple" : the first one is that the apple seems to be the oldest existing fruit, known since the prehistoric era ....
the other one is that in the Bible in Latin, the word was "pomum" meaning "fruit", which then gave "pomme" in French - ie apple...
the last one, quite far fetched, is given by some psychanalists, and is that the snake is the symbol of masculinity, and the apple the symbol of feminity ...

another famous apple in the Greek antiquity is the one Pâris had to give to one of the three goddesses Athena, Hera or Aphrodite : that one was at the origin of the Trojan war ...

another famous apple in the Greek antiquity is the one Pâris had to give to one of the three goddesses Athena, Hera or Aphrodite : that one was at the origin of the Trojan war ...

But that apple was thrown onto a table by Eris, goddess of Discord at Thetis' wedding. On it were the words 'To the Fairest'. The three goddesses started quarrelling over it as in, 'Clearly it's mine!' The rest of the gods suddenly remembered people they had to see and left, so the goddesses let Paris be the judge and being a young man, naturally he let his lust do the thinking for him and chose Aphrodite!

The other important apples in Classical myth were the apples of the Hesperides.

Apples were also sacred to the Celts and the Norse folk._________________Confusion comes fitted as standard.

Maybe apples are so prominent in early literature and myth because they're a fruit that keeps so well. Eventually, of course, people learned how to ferment grapes and dry other fruits but apples still remain a relatively durable fruit in their natural state._________________God writes a lot of comedy... the trouble is, he's stuck with so many bad actors who don't know how to play funny. -- Garrison Keillor

Maybe our Art historian friends could tell us when/where the first pictures
depicting the story of Adam and Eve included the apple as the Fruit ( tree)of Wisdom. I believe that the apple being already mentioned in Greek Mythology, as well as in the Celtic culture , it became the obvious choice for the first christians who kept, at least at the beginning, symbols of ancient faiths.
What I find interesting is that the apple and the snake are so differently treated, though both are connected with the "original sin". While the poor snake is feared and beviled, (except in Taiwan- where of course, it's not associated with sin), the apple is the most popular and versatile fruit . Can it be that we do enjoy "sin"? Or maybe we MUST continue eating apples, hoping to attain- at last- a higher degree of KNOWLEDGE, that deep deep knowledge all of us are seeking, and which one poor apple was not capable of providing???

No more war, I need silence , so I can eat apples and loose weight while aquiring profound knowledge!!

There is a novelty song about a tender-hearted woman who finds a half-frozen snake, his gorgeous colors diminished by frost. She takes him into her home and warms him and revives him--and is quite suprised when he bites her! She asks him why he fatally poisoned her after she had shown him such kindness--he explains his actions by reminding her that she knew he was a snake when she took him in. (A song by Al Wilson.)
This song may or may not be about certain men.

This apple/sin/history/guilt/ discussion could go on and on--on many levels!

Just last night I was looking at a "Two Fat Ladies" cookbook--recipes for --eels -- nope, couldn't peel 'em, couldn't eat 'em--too snakelike!

Do ALL countries have the expression "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." -- or is that uniquely American?

What I find interesting is that the apple and the snake are so differently treated, though both are connected with the "original sin". While the poor snake is feared and beviled, (except in Taiwan- where of course, it's not associated with sin), the apple is the most popular and versatile fruit. Can it be that we do enjoy "sin"?

Interesting proposition, simona. Of course, in the Christian version  at least the Calvinist American version thereof  pleasure and sin are synonymous. _________________God writes a lot of comedy... the trouble is, he's stuck with so many bad actors who don't know how to play funny. -- Garrison Keillor

Well Simona, speaking for myself, I absolutely LOVE sin!!! The sins of chocolate in particular, but I'm not fussy!!

The thought of the earliest appearance of the apple in art or at least in the depiction of Adam and Eve is an interesting one. The image that sprang to my mind was of Adam and Eve being evicted from the garden (which actually had more to do with their rent than the apple!) is either by Giotto or Masaccio but I'm sure there must be images from medieval manuscripts long before that._________________Confusion comes fitted as standard.

No expression in Hebrew connecting apples to health ( chicken soup is the penicilyn around here), but there is one expression connecting it with morals- closer maybe to its religious symbolism- good and evil:
"An apple does not fall far away from the tree" ( free translation) -meaning:
the offspring does not differ from it's parent - rotten tree/parent-rotten apple/offspring, good parent-good offsprings. If we return to the "original" question, Adam and Eve had one good and one rotten son - so we can deduce that not all offsprings fall near the tree but it still remains to be decided which one is closer to the Adam-Eve tree, Cain or Abel???
Next important philosophical question being: what apple brand is best suited for the ultimative apple pie?

When I looked for apple quotes I found many of them referred to Apple computers and Apple records instead of apple, the handheld edible!

When I make apple pies/crisps/desserts I usually use half tart, half sweet. Some recipes call for specific apples, but truly, I've never been unhappy with apples, sugar and cinnamon..no matter the variety.

For baked apples, though, (served whole, cored, hot) I especially like Jonagold (spelling?). The texture is just right, and the shape is plumply round, not angular like the Delicious shape.

I suppose it would be too much to ask that apple variety names are the same in different countries?

Well Ginger, you know that with me confusion comes fitted as standard, but I don't have a problem with avoiding pain and seeking pleasure, tho' sometimes the two mix as in a curry so hot and yet somehow... soooo goood!

My senses remain unguarded tho' just in case I miss something!

Either way, what's generally considered naughty and sinful is fine by me... so long as it doesn't hurt anyone else that is. Tho' I have eaten chocolate cake in public with the intention of corrupting the young... I don't know if it worked but the cake was fab!

For a giggle and because I have no shame, I am doing life modelling for an art class at Loughborough University this term. As a just-in-case I am going to imagine Margaret Thatcher naked, just to keep my, er composure!!_________________Confusion comes fitted as standard.